December 29, 2009

The Boy From Baby House 10

Last week I read a book called, "The Boy From Baby House 10" by Alan Philps and John Lahutsky. I finished it in 2 days - record time for me! I couldn't put it down. It is the true store of the co-author, John Lahutsky (whose Russian name was Vanya). He is now a high school student living a normal life in Pennsylvania. His story about how he came to be adopted from the Russian system is tear-jerking and inspiring. The story seems to be from another period of time, but it hasn't changed much in the past 10 years from when he was saved from a tragic fate. Here is an excerpt from the cover summary:

"Confined to one room with a group of silent children, he was ignored by most of the staff and labeled an 'imbecile' and 'ineducable' by the authorities. He was consigned, for a time, to a mental asylum, where he lived in a high-sided, iron-barred crib, lying in a pool of his own waste, on a locked ward surrounded by screaming children and psychotic adults. But even these dire surroundings didn't destroy the spirit of this remarkable little boy. Vanya grew into an intellectually curious, verbally complex youngster who reached out to everyone around him."

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